Could I replace my Sky box by a cheap decoder,
eg one that comes with a camping satellite system
from Lidl or Aldi?
Ie, could I just unplug my Sky box
and plug in one of these in its place?

I actually have a two-room Sky system,
with two Sky boxes,
and I'm thinking of replacing one with a FTV/FTA box,
but as will probably be clear I am not too sure
of the technology involved.

"Timothy Murphy"  wrote in message 
news:x%P1k.25696$j7.470118@news.indigo.ie...
> Could I replace my Sky box by a cheap decoder,
> eg one that comes with a camping satellite system
> from Lidl or Aldi?
> Ie, could I just unplug my Sky box
> and plug in one of these in its place?
>
> I actually have a two-room Sky system,
> with two Sky boxes,
> and I'm thinking of replacing one with a FTV/FTA box,
> but as will probably be clear I am not too sure
> of the technology involved.
>

In principle this should work.

On Jun 5, 1:22 pm, Timothy Murphy  wrote:
> Could I replace my Sky box by a cheap decoder,
> eg one that comes with a camping satellite system
> from Lidl or Aldi?
> Ie, could I just unplug my Sky box
> and plug in one of these in its place?
>
> I actually have a two-room Sky system,
> with two Sky boxes,
> and I'm thinking of replacing one with a FTV/FTA box,
> but as will probably be clear I am not too sure
> of the technology involved.

Unless you want the specific features of a different FTV/FTA  box, why
not just cancel your multiroom subscription, and use the second Sky
box for FTV/FTA  anyway? Maybe it would need a different card, but
certainly cheaper than buying a new 3rd party box.

airsmoothed@hotmail.com wrote:
> On Jun 5, 1:22 pm, Timothy Murphy  wrote:
>> Could I replace my Sky box by a cheap decoder,
>> eg one that comes with a camping satellite system
>> from Lidl or Aldi?
>> Ie, could I just unplug my Sky box
>> and plug in one of these in its place?
>>
>> I actually have a two-room Sky system,
>> with two Sky boxes,
>> and I'm thinking of replacing one with a FTV/FTA box,
>> but as will probably be clear I am not too sure
>> of the technology involved.
>
> Unless you want the specific features of a different FTV/FTA  box, why
> not just cancel your multiroom subscription, and use the second Sky
> box for FTV/FTA  anyway? Maybe it would need a different card, but
> certainly cheaper than buying a new 3rd party box.

The Sky card will revert to Freesat (from Sky) status when he cancels his 
subs. This card will then only be needed to decode FTV channels such as Ch4, 
Ch5, Fiver (&+1), FiveUS, Sky Three.

airsmoothed@hotmail.com wrote:

> On Jun 5, 1:22 pm, Timothy Murphy  wrote:
>> Could I replace my Sky box by a cheap decoder,
>> eg one that comes with a camping satellite system
>> from Lidl or Aldi?
>> Ie, could I just unplug my Sky box
>> and plug in one of these in its place?
>>
>> I actually have a two-room Sky system,
>> with two Sky boxes,
>> and I'm thinking of replacing one with a FTV/FTA box,
>> but as will probably be clear I am not too sure
>> of the technology involved.
> 
> Unless you want the specific features of a different FTV/FTA  box, why
> not just cancel your multiroom subscription, and use the second Sky
> box for FTV/FTA  anyway? Maybe it would need a different card, but
> certainly cheaper than buying a new 3rd party box.

I assume that if and when I cancel my multiroom subscription,
Sky will remove one of their boxes?
Is the box actually mine?
Or if it is not, are Sky unlikely to take it back?

"Timothy Murphy"  wrote in message 
news:l6W1k.25706$j7.470022@news.indigo.ie...
> airsmoothed@hotmail.com wrote:


> I assume that if and when I cancel my multiroom subscription,
> Sky will remove one of their boxes?
> Is the box actually mine?
> Or if it is not, are Sky unlikely to take it back?
>
>



the boxes are yours to keep.



-- 
Gareth.

that fly...... is your magic wand....

In <l6W1k.25706$j7.470022@news.indigo.ie>, Timothy Murphy
 wrote:

>I assume that if and when I cancel my multiroom subscription,
>Sky will remove one of their boxes?

NO!

>Is the box actually mine?

Yes. It's been your property since Day One. Not even "after the end of the
first year" - Day One.

>Or if it is not, are Sky unlikely to take it back?

Sadly some unscrupulous Sky installers have been known to steal old
digiboxes when they visit to install Sky+ for example - because as you've
just shown, even almost ten years now after the launch of the Sky Digital,
a lot of people still think that Sky rent out the Digiboxes. They never
have.

HTH

Mike Henry wrote:

>>I assume that if and when I cancel my multiroom subscription,
>>Sky will remove one of their boxes?
> 
> NO!
> 
>>Is the box actually mine?
> 
> Yes. It's been your property since Day One. Not even "after the end of the
> first year" - Day One.

OK, thanks for the info.

I was on NTL before, and they did come round and collect their box
when I left them for Sky.
(NTL was using a microwave transmitter rather than a cable in my road,
and this was not functioning very well - hence my move.)

"Timothy Murphy"  wrote in message 
news:LHX1k.25711$j7.470041@news.indigo.ie...

 mine?
>>
>> Yes. It's been your property since Day One. Not even "after the end of 
>> the
>> first year" - Day One.
>
> OK, thanks for the info.
>
> I was on NTL before, and they did come round and collect their box
> when I left them for Sky.
> (NTL was using a microwave transmitter rather than a cable in my road,
> and this was not functioning very well - hence my move.)
>
>



ntl boxes are theirs - so they are entitled to them back.



-- 
Gareth.

that fly...... is your magic wand....

"Timothy Murphy"  wrote in message 
news:l6W1k.25706$j7.470022@news.indigo.ie...
> airsmoothed@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>> On Jun 5, 1:22 pm, Timothy Murphy  wrote:
>>> Could I replace my Sky box by a cheap decoder,
>>> eg one that comes with a camping satellite system
>>> from Lidl or Aldi?
>>> Ie, could I just unplug my Sky box
>>> and plug in one of these in its place?
>>>
>>> I actually have a two-room Sky system,
>>> with two Sky boxes,
>>> and I'm thinking of replacing one with a FTV/FTA box,
>>> but as will probably be clear I am not too sure
>>> of the technology involved.
>>
>> Unless you want the specific features of a different FTV/FTA  box, why
>> not just cancel your multiroom subscription, and use the second Sky
>> box for FTV/FTA  anyway? Maybe it would need a different card, but
>> certainly cheaper than buying a new 3rd party box.
>
> I assume that if and when I cancel my multiroom subscription,
> Sky will remove one of their boxes?
> Is the box actually mine?
> Or if it is not, are Sky unlikely to take it back?
>

$ky boxes were purchased, so are yours.  Unlike mobile phones they have 
offered partex deals.

ITV  Digital boxes OTOH remained theirs, which lead to the following 
transaction: -

I visit a major cash and carry and inside is a large pile of digiboxes, with 
a promotion "digibox with a years subscription" £99.99p [+ VAT].  I think 
this is reasonable at the time so I put a box in the [large cash and carry] 
trolley.  While wheeling it round I notice the unusual T&C on the side of 
the box, that what I am actually paying for is a year's sub to a load of 
tosh programs and a mere loan of the digibox.  So I hoik the whole carton 
out of the trolley and throw it on the floor.

I did get a second hand digibox in a public market after ITV (sorry ON) 
digital went bust .

R. Mark Clayton wrote:

> $ky boxes were purchased, so are yours.

So Rupert Murdoch is, after all, a philanthropist!
I always thought he looked a nice man.

Timothy Murphy wrote:
> R. Mark Clayton wrote:
> 
>> $ky boxes were purchased, so are yours.
> 
> So Rupert Murdoch is, after all, a philanthropist!
> I always thought he looked a nice man.

Indeed he is. A philanthropist is just someone who likes people. With 
all they money they pay him, I'm not surprised he likes them. :-)

Silk wrote:
> Indeed he is. A philanthropist is just someone who likes people. With 
> all they money they pay him, I'm not surprised he likes them. :-)

A drug dealer always gives the first hit for free. Guaranteed repeat 
business....

-- 
Adrian C

Adrian C wrote:
> Silk wrote:
>> Indeed he is. A philanthropist is just someone who likes people. With 
>> all they money they pay him, I'm not surprised he likes them. :-)
> 
> A drug dealer always gives the first hit for free. Guaranteed repeat 
> business....
> 

With Sky, you usually get the first month free. Then, if you're a mug, 
it's 50 quid a month for the rest of your life.

Adrian C wrote:
> Silk wrote:
>> Indeed he is. A philanthropist is just someone who likes people. With 
>> all they money they pay him, I'm not surprised he likes them. :-)
> 
> A drug dealer always gives the first hit for free. Guaranteed repeat 
> business....
> 

I wonder if you can just keep going to different dealers and do the 
"first hit deal"? Or is it just a one-off promotion? Is there a kind of 
dealer reference agency to stop people trying this scam?